Leopold and Loeb

Loeb could not have predicted a broken wristwatch would set in motion events that led to his undoing. But that's what often happens in cases of "the perfect crime."

Tony Minke lived in Roby, Indiana - not too far from Hammond. On the evening of May 21, 1924 - the day of the murder - Tony's watch stopped. He wanted to get it fixed that night, so he set off for the repair shop.

Walking through the swampy area where Bobby's body had been hidden, Minke thought he saw something unusual. He nearly didn't stop because he had other things to do. He wanted that watch fixed.

Curiosity got the best of him, though, and seconds later he found Bobby's body where Leopold and Loeb had left it.

At first, no one knew Minke had located the body of Bobby Franks. Jacob Franks was still planning to give his son's kidnappers what they had asked for. The Indiana police report said "unidentified boy." So did the coroner's report.

"Chance" events didn't end with Tony Minke's broken wristwatch, though. Unknown to Nathan Leopold, he had dropped his eyeglasses at the very spot where he had dumped Bobby's body.

Leopold, the certifiable genius, had left a trail of evidence that led straight to him.